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What You Need to Know About Blood Cancer
By: Sandeep Singh, MD
What Is Leukemia?
Leukemia is a type of cancer that starts in the parts of your body that make blood. This includes your bone marrow and your lymph system. These systems create blood cells that help you stay healthy.
In leukemia, your body starts making blood cells that do not work the way they should. Most often, cancer affects white blood cells. These cells usually fight infections. But in people with leukemia, the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells that do not work properly.
There are different kinds of leukemia. Some types mostly affect children. Others are more common in adults.
Common Symptoms to Watch For
Leukemia symptoms can be different depending on the type. Still, some signs happen in many cases:
- Fever or chills that do not go away
- Feeling very tired all the time
- Getting sick often or easily
- Losing weight without trying
- Swollen areas like your neck, underarms, or belly
- Bruising or bleeding easily
- Nosebleeds that happen a lot
- Red or purple dots on your skin (called petechiae)
- Night sweats
- Pain in your bones or joints
Some of these signs are easy to mistake for other illnesses, like the flu. That is why many people do not realize they have leukemia at first. Sometimes doctors find leukemia during a routine blood test.
What Causes Leukemia?
Doctors do not know exactly what causes leukemia. It usually happens because of changes in your DNA. DNA is what tells your cells what to do.
In a healthy body, cells grow, work and die in an orderly way. In leukemia, damaged DNA tells blood cells to grow out of control. These cells do not die like they should. They pile up in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy cells.
That is why people with leukemia often have low numbers of red blood cells, platelets and working white blood cells.
How Doctors Classify Leukemia
Doctors group leukemia in two main ways:
- How Fast It Grows
- Acute leukemia: This type grows quickly. The cells are very immature and do not work well. Treatment usually needs to start right away.
- Chronic leukemia: This type grows more slowly. The cells may work for a while. Some people do not feel sick for years.
- What Kind of Cells Are Affected
- Lymphocytic leukemia: Affects lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that helps fight infection.
- Myelogenous leukemia: Affects cells that grow into red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets.
Types of Leukemia
There are several main types:
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): Most common in young children but is also seen in adults.
- Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML): Happens in both children and adults. It is the most common acute leukemia in adults.
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): Affects older adults. Some people live many years without needing treatment.
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML): Also affects adults. It may not cause symptoms at first.
- Rare types: These include hairy cell leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative disorders.
What Increases Your Risk?
Some things can raise your chance of getting leukemia:
- Past cancer treatment: Chemotherapy or radiation can increase your risk.
- Genetic conditions: Conditions like Down Syndrome can make leukemia more likely.
- Chemicals: Exposure to benzene, found in gasoline, is linked to some types.
- Smoking: Increases the risk of AML.
- Family history: If a close relative had leukemia, your risk may be higher.
*Still, most people with these risks never get leukemia. And many people with leukemia do not have any known risk factors.
How Doctors Diagnose Leukemia
Leukemia may be found during a regular blood test. If a doctor thinks you might have it, they may do the following tests:
- Physical exam: They will check for pale skin, swelling or tenderness in certain areas.
- Blood tests: These show unusual levels of blood cells or signs of cancer cells.
- Bone marrow biopsy: A small amount of bone marrow is removed (usually from the hip) and checked in a lab.
*These tests help the healthcare team figure out what kind of leukemia you have and how to treat it.
How Is Leukemia Treated?
Treatment depends on the type of leukemia, your age, health and whether it has spread. Here are the most common options:
- Chemotherapy
This is the main treatment for many types of leukemia. Strong drugs are used to kill cancer cells. You may take the medicine by pill or have it through a vein. Sometimes one drug is enough. Other times, a mix of drugs works best.
- Targeted Therapy
Some drugs attack cancer cells directly by focusing on the parts that make them different. Before starting, doctors test your cells to see if this type of medicine will help.
- Radiation Therapy
High-energy beams like X-rays are aimed at the cancer to kill it. You might get radiation in just one area or over your whole body. Sometimes radiation is used before a bone marrow transplant.
- Bone Marrow Transplant
Also called a stem cell transplant. First, high-dose chemo or radiation is used to wipe out unhealthy marrow. Then you get new, healthy stem cells that can grow into normal blood cells. The new cells may come from you or a donor.
- Immunotherapy
This helps your immune system fight cancer. Some cancer cells hide from the immune system. Immunotherapy can help your body find and destroy those cells.
- CAR-T Cell Therapy
A special treatment for some types of leukemia. Doctors take your immune cells, change them to fight cancer and put them back into your body.
- Clinical Trials
These are research studies testing new treatments. They may give you access to the latest therapies. Talk to your doctor about whether a trial might be right for you.
Get Expert Care for Leukemia or Unexplained Blood Symptoms:
If you think you may have leukemia or symptoms like unusual fatigue, bruising or infections, I am here to help. As a hematologist and oncologist, I specialize in diagnosing and treating blood disorders and cancer.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Sandeep Singh:
Call: 601-518-7054 Referral Email: ashli.palmer@scrmc.com
Your health is important. Let’s work together to manage it.
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